Three weeks into the season, the AFC West already feels like it’s sorting itself out. The division has gone 6-2 in non-divisional games, and the only team with both losses is also the one sitting at the bottom of these rankings.
- Los Angeles Chargers
Trending: Steady
The Chargers had a chance to flip the script, and they let it slip away. Josh Allen did plenty to hand them an opening, but Los Angeles never took it. A one-score road loss in Buffalo looks fine on the surface, yet the way it unfolded offered little reason for comfort.
That’s the problem for the Chargers right now: they’re 0-2, and they’ve already wasted chances that teams in that spot have to cash in. Even a surprise win would have been something to build on, but they haven’t even managed the easy ones.
At this point, it’s fair to wonder when the first victory will actually arrive. It probably won’t be this week, either, with a trip to face the defending Super Bowl champions in Seattle on deck.
And while the Chargers search for answers, the rest of the division keeps moving ahead.
- Las Vegas Raiders
Trending: Up
The Raiders are no longer something you can shrug off as a hot start that will fade away. Their win over the Saints was a high-energy, back-and-forth fight, and Las Vegas found a way to survive it.
Brock Bowers coming back mattered, too. With him back in the mix, the offense suddenly looks like it’s firing on all cylinders.
Even with that surge, there’s still a reason for caution. The defense was vulnerable in New Orleans, and this is still a team built around an aging Kirk Cousins.
The 3-0 record looks great, but the résumé is still light; the three opponents the Raiders have beaten have just one win between them. That changes this week, when Kansas City comes to town for Las Vegas’ first real test.
A convincing performance there could change the conversation fast, even against the team ahead of them here.
- Denver Broncos
Trending: Steady
The Broncos keep living in the same strange movie: down early, then suddenly in control when it matters most. Against the Rams, they fell into a 16-0 hole before Bo Nix and company stormed back for a 30-26 win. It wasn’t pretty, but the result is hard to argue with.
Denver is 2-1, and the two wins have come against playoff teams from last season. The lone loss came against a Chiefs team that looks every bit like a contender.
That’s a strong enough start to take seriously, even if it feels like the Broncos are always walking a tightrope. They’ve been playing this way for more than a year, and until it finally breaks, they deserve to be treated like a good team that just happens to enjoy the edge-of-your-seat version of football.
Still, giving the 49ers a two-score head start probably isn’t the ideal plan.
- Kansas City Chiefs
Trending: Steady
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs kept rolling with another comfortable win, this one over the Dolphins. Kansas City needed a little time to settle in, but once the second half started, the game belonged to the Chiefs. The 24-10 road win moved them to 3-0.
Since the Week 1 blowout of the Broncos, Kansas City has been operating like a team in full control. The Colts and Dolphins both caused a few tense moments, but neither game ever felt truly out of reach. Now comes a bigger challenge: a trip to Las Vegas, where the Chiefs will face the Raiders in a matchup that could tighten the top of the division even more.
In Other News...
Maxx Crosby Sees One Reason This Raiders Start Feels Different
The early buzz around the Raiders 3-0 start has centered on the wins themselves, but Maxx Crosby says the bigger shift is happening behind the scenes. After years of trying to build something sturdier, he pointed to the way the locker room has come together as a major reason this opening feels different, with the team finding a steadier identity through the first stretch of the season.
For a franchise that has spent plenty of time searching for traction, that kind of internal connection matters as much as any early record. Crosbys read on the room suggests this isnt just about a hot start or a few good breaks, but about a group that is beginning to trust one another in a way that can carry through the grind ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Head Into Week 4 With Two Key Injury Questions
The injury picture around the Raiders has already become a familiar part of the early-season conversation, with Treydan Stukes missing multiple games after a concussion and Jack Bech dealing with a fractured forearm. Even with a few players back in the fold, Las Vegas has been forced to keep adjusting its plans as the season has opened, and the Week 4 build-up has brought another round of uncertainty.
Head coach Klint Kubiak said Bech is expected to be out for a period, while Jackson Powers-Johnsons groin injury is still being evaluated. For a Raiders team trying to settle into a rhythm, the difference between getting key bodies back and waiting on more answers could shape how they approach the next stretch, even before the full injury picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders 3-0 Start Just Made Kubiaks Call Look Even Bigger
Three games into a season rebuilt by major offseason changes, the Raiders have spent the early going looking more stable than many expected. The 3-0 start has given Klint Kubiak plenty of reasons to like how his team has responded, especially after Las Vegas had to battle back from a second-half deficit in its Week 3 win.
Kubiak also made a lineup call against the Saints that ended up carrying real weight, and tight end Bowers rewarded it with a big afternoon on the ground. Bowers finished with 116 rushing yards and a touchdown, and his impact helped the offense click alongside Mike Mayer, giving Las Vegas another sign that the early-season formula is working. [Read more 🡒]